Pear and blue cheese pizza – delicious recipe We love pizza. I don’t think I’ll ever be bored with it. I’m pretty convinced that I could eat pizza every day if I had to. But, well,there are other considerations such as calories and cholesterol and all those boring things. Boring yes, but we do have to pay attention. This doesn’t mean that I will ever (hopefully) have to give up a delicious Pizza Margherita Nevertheless it’s such fun looking for healthier – and let’s be honest, posher – versions. Pear and blue cheese is such a favourite of ours. If you’re strictly and tomato-and-cheese pizza lover (and I was) then it certainly might sound a little odd but it is totally delicious. It’s also very quick and easy to make. This is primarily because I’m happy to cheat and use a ready-to-bake dough. I use the Pillsbury pizza dough that comes in tubes – it lasts for quite some time in the fridge so you can easily whip up a homemade pizza very quickly. Save Print Pear and blue cheese pizza recipe Rating 5 from 1 reviews Ingredients 1 tube pizza dough 1 pear 1 leek (cleaned and sliced) 2oz. cheese 1½ oz. blue cheese 1½ oz. soft goat cheese Salad leaves A little olive oil Instructions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and set to medium. Add the sliced leeks and cook for about five minutes. Cut the pear in half, remove the core and cut one half into cubes and the other into slices. Add the cubes (not the slices) to the pan with the leeks, stir and turn the heat to low. Remove the dough from the tube and pat out onto a cookie sheet. Bake for about 5 - 8 minutes -or a couple of minutes less than the total baking time given on the pack. While the dough is baking, grate the harder cheese. Sprinkle this over the almost-cooked base and return to the oven for just a few seconds until the cheese begins to melt. Spoon the pear-leek mixture onto the pizza base and spread evenly. Crumble the blue cheese over the top and put the pizza back in the oven for another five minutes or so until the blue cheese is melted. Remove...

Quiche Monaco recipe Everyone should have a great quiche recipe in their repertoire. Quiche is incredibly adaptable and you can vary the fillings depending on your taste and the ingredients you have to hand. This delicious version features wonderful goat cheese and some additional fabulous flavours. Use your favourite pastry recipe or, which is what I do these days, use frozen. The great thing about quiche is that it can be served as an entree, an appetiser, as part of a luxurious weekend brunch or in a buffet selection. I prefer quiche that is warm but it’s just as good served cold, especially with a fabulously fresh salad. Goat cheese these days can be bought with additional flavours such as herbs or garlic. It’s a good idea to experiment to find your favourite. We sometimes buy one which is mildly flavoured with honey – that makes a delicious quiche. Here’s the recipe: Save Print Quiche Monaco recipe Rating 5 from 1 reviews Ingredients Pastry to line 10" pie dish 6 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced 12 oz. goat cheese 4 eggs 2 cups half-and-half cream 1 tablespoon flour ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper A little olive oil Fresh basil leaves 1 large tomato, sliced Instructions Roll pastry and line greased quiche tin or plate Refrigerate until required Preheat oven to 400 degrees Add the olive oil to a skillet and saute the shallots until they are transparent Spread the shallots over the pastry Spoon the cheese over the shallots so that it is evenly distributed Mix together the eggs, cream, flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper until they are well combined Add chopped basil leaves, retaining a few for garnishing Pour the mix into the pastry shell Top with tomato slices Bake to 400 degrees for fifteen minutes Reduce the heat to 325 and bake for about 35 minutes more. Test by inserting a knife - the blade should come out clean Remove from the oven,place on a rack and allow to cool slightly before serving. 3.2.2925 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jackie Jackson, also known online as BritFlorida, is a highly experienced designer and writer. British born and now living in the USA, she specialises in lifestyle issues, design and quirky stories. You can see a wide range of articles here,...

Pear and blue cheese pizza – delicious recipe We love pizza. I don’t think I’ll ever be bored with it. I’m pretty convinced that I could eat pizza every day if I had to. But, well,there are other considerations such as calories and cholesterol and all those boring things. Boring yes, but we do have to pay attention. This doesn’t mean that I will ever (hopefully) have to give up a delicious Pizza...

Quiche Monaco recipe Everyone should have a great quiche recipe in their repertoire. Quiche is incredibly adaptable and you can vary the fillings depending on your taste and the ingredients you have to hand. This delicious version features wonderful goat cheese and some additional fabulous flavours. Use your favourite pastry recipe or, which is what I do these days, use frozen. The great thing about quiche is that it can be served as...

Mexican Cabbage Salad Mexican Cabbage Salad is another recipe I’ve tried to replicate from a favorite local restaurant in San Diego. Cinco de Mayo or anytime, it’s a family favorite. It brings back memories of leisurely dinners complete with margaritas, chips and salsa, and friends. We often enjoyed sharing one of these salads with our dinner order. Usually we make coleslaw with mayo, but this is so crisp and refreshing with oil and...

Chickpea Stew Recipe. This is a lovely recipe that is ideal for a family meal – or to serve to a crowd; just adjust the ingredients accordingly. It takes a while to cook but needs little attention. It’s my interpretation of a recipe from my favourite cookbook. If I forget to soak the chickpeas beforehand, I use the canned variety but it’s an amazingly value-for-money, satisfying meal. Serve with a salad and crusty...

It’s the holiday season and we are in full swing for a Christmas that will just be the best one ever. Who doesn’t love all the food and friends, the excited chatter and family rekindling old times as the new times are happening. It is the best part of the whole “Christmas Scene”. The other best part is all the food that is brought by friends and family to share. Food has to be one of the best ways of telling people that you love them....

Healthier, no-fry falafel. These delicious falafel are meat-free and unlike most falafel recipes, they do not need to be fried. You can optionally baste them with a little olive oil if you wish but most times, I don’t bother – they don’t really need it. You can eat these alone for a snack but I like to serve them in pita bread. Halve and split the bread to make pockets, add the falafel and some lettuce, chopped...

Spicy, Light and Filled with Veggies Here’s still another way to enjoy fresh vegetables. I wanted to try an enchilada using mostly cauliflower–my new favorite vegetable to include when cooking. I’ve always enjoyed it plain, whether raw or cooked, but hadn’t used it as a supplement to different dishes. Since I discovered how versatile it is, I like to add it to anything. It somehow picks up the flavor of what...

Delicious frittata for breakfast or lunch This recipe will serve four people as a breakfast dish. For lunch, it’s ideal served with fresh crusty bread and salad. We often have this for dinner and it serves the two of us – we are both very greedy – and it makes a quick and easy meat-free meal. Of course, if you do eat meat or fish,this is a beautifully flexible recipe. Seafood is a great addition as is small slices of...

Use your leftovers to make this delicious and easy meal. I hate wasting food, don’t you? This is a recipe I developed many years ago when I ran a health food store. We sold takeout lunches and invariably had leftovers. A business can’t afford those losses. So Boston Bake was the result. It’s incredibly adaptable. Although the original version is meat-free, you can include chopped leftover ham, turkey … anything...

Here’s an easy, versatile recipe for a brunch or a simple family breakfast. They also work great for something to grab on-the-go. Chop a little onion, some ham or bacon, any vegetables you would like to add. Try spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers… It doesn’t take very much. Sprinkle some cheese in with the egg, and bake them up. If you serve them immediately, they are nice and high. If they will be served...

White Bean Chili. Our family loves a bowl of chili on a cold winter night. Our favorite used to be the traditional chili with the basic ground beef. Now that I’m trying to eat less meat and finding more vegetarian dishes, my goal was to see what I could create with my favorite white beans. I’ve tried it with ground turkey too. That’s very tasty, but this time I wanted to go totally vegetarian. That’s how this...

Making fresh pasta at home. If you’ve never made pasta at home you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes. Gourmet pastas can cost a fortune at speciality food stores and delis – so why not make your own? Using this recipe, from top chef Dirk Du Cuyper, you can make your own special pastas at home. Flavour your pasta, if you wish. Try basil, sun-dried tomatoes, olives or garlic for truly Mediterranean tastes. Add...

Fresh, vegetarian, and healthy! When I first saw a recipe on Food and Wine for Indian Cumin Rice, I knew I had to try with riced cauliflower instead. Cauliflower, either run thru a blender or grated into rice size bites with a grater, make an excellent substitute for regular rice. It’s lighter, healthier, and very adaptable in so many dishes. It works wonderfully in Fried Rice and in Spanish Rice, so why not with an Indian flair....

Eggplant rolls – quick and easy recipe. This is an easy dish to make and is a delicious meat-free meal. You could also serve these tasty rolls as a side dish or an appetizer. It’s a very flexible recipe too, as you can add leftovers, or flavourings of your choice, to the stuffing. The recipe uses a commercial pasta sauce but it’s even tastier if you make your own. I’ve also made this using a quick, simple sauce...

Have you ever tried Spanish rice without any rice? Try this method using riced cauliflower instead! Ever since I first tried using riced cauliflower in fried rice , I’ve been experimenting with it in other rice dishes. It’s surprising how well it substitutes for regular rice, in texture and even taste. By the time you blend it with a sauce, the taste is very similar. Sometimes I will do half and half, like I did my the fried rice...

Cheese and onion pasties recipe We used to buy frozen cheese and onion pasties from a local store – until I realised just how expensive they were and how easy they are to make at home. I don’t make pastry from scratch very often these days (when I do, this is a great recipe) and for this recipe I use ready-to bake croissant dough – it seems to be tastier that the commercial pastries you can buy. We don’t eat...

Italian Romanesco, Mozzarella & Garlic Tart: Meat free recipe. Have you come across the wonderful Romanesco cauliflowers? You can make this lovely tart with a regular cauliflower and that’s super-tasty but for something really special, try the Romanesco. You can make your own pastry – here’s my favourite recipe – or use a ready-to-bake pastry if you’d prefer. This makes a lovely meat-free meal for two...

Watercress, pecan and blue cheese salad recipe. This is probably the easiest salad in the world and can be adapted easily to suit your own tastes. One of the reasons I like this so much is that it needs no additional seasoning. The blue cheese means that no extra salt is required and the watercress has its own peppery flavour. This makes it ideal for picnics too as it means there’s no need to take condiments along. Pack the...

Stuffed cabbage rolls – delicious vegetarian or vegan entrée It’s time to rethink cabbage rolls! This is a wonderfully adaptable recipes that makes a splendid meat-free meal or can be served as a side, or even appetiser. Unlike traditional cabbage rolls, these are light and fresh, plus they are quick to cook. Preparation is easy too. You can vary the ingredients to suit your own tastes – for example,I often add...

Asparagus and new potatoes in butter lemon sauce with fresh herbs. A quick and easy recipe. This is a wonderfully fresh and clean tasting recipe. It’s lovely to serve as a meat-free entree with crusty bread. It also makes a great dish for lunch.If you don’t eat dairy, it’s still delicious if you omit the butter and cheese (but I prefer the dairy version, I must admit). It’s such a versatile recipe because you...

Japanese Rice with Mixed Vegetables The Easiest Vegetarian Dish Ever since I started working out of my home, I made it a point to cook my own meals as much as possible. There are times when things get too hectic that I succumb to the occasional take-out food, but if I can manage, I’d always rather make my own meals. This way I know exactly what goes into my body, especially important when I’m trying to stay healthy. But...

I learned to make this recipe from my sister. She made this while we were visiting her. Everyone had gotten sick in the house so she wanted to make something that we all could just easily eat as we got better. Although this soup isn’t your get better kind, it does have healthy ingredients in it. Plus when it’s chilly out it will warm you up! As she made it the smell made me hungry! She is such a good cook. To my surprise when I tried...

Mexican Cabbage Salad Mexican Cabbage Salad is another recipe I’ve tried to replicate from a favorite local restaurant in San Diego. Cinco de Mayo or anytime, it’s a family favorite. It brings back memories of leisurely dinners complete with margaritas, chips and salsa, and friends. We often enjoyed sharing one of these salads with our dinner order. Usually we make coleslaw with mayo, but this is so crisp and refreshing with oil and...

Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Whether an appetizer, a main course, or a side dish, stuffed mushrooms are a popular dish to serve at a meal. They look special, taste wonderful, and can be stuffed with your favorites, like cheese, olives, or other veggies. Or, if you love spinach as much as I do, you can stuff them with spinach. Any mushroom is delicious when stuffed, but the Portobello mushroom is large enough to be a meal. With...

Spinach Quesadillas In another one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments, I happened to see a recipe for a quesadilla that included spinach. Spinach on a quesadilla sounds perfect, and I had never tried it. As soon as it was lunch time, I remedied that. After all I am never one to pass up a spinach recipe. You can browse some of my other spinach recipes here on Jacquo. In the recipe I liked that they included spinach, of...

Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps Have you tried lettuce wraps yet? Pretty much anything that you can put in a sandwich or a tortilla works well in a lettuce wrap too. So if you are cutting back on your bread or carbohydrates, they make a great substitute. You might have seen my article on Chilled Lettuce Wraps here on Jaquo. These are three of my favorites. They were definitely not good choices for vegetarians. So today’s wraps are. The...

Pear and blue cheese pizza recipe. We love regular cheese and tomato pizza but for something different, try this tasty, healthy and easy-to-prepare pizza using the delicious and unusual combination of luscious pear and French cheeses. If you make your own pizza dough, this recipe would probably be even more scrumptious but for the sake of speed and ease, I use the ready-to-bake dough that comes in tubes.You need one tube for this...

Refried beans a favorite at our house, since they are easy to grab to make a quick and easy dinner. Mexican food always sounds good, but as you probably know, restaurant meals can be terribly high in calories. So more and more I am trying to create my own dishes in a healthier fashion. There are now fat free brands available at the grocery story. Still, I like to know just what ingredients are included in a dish, so I decided it was...

Homemade Soup. What a fabulous broccoli soup. My sister made this while I was visiting her and I thought ‘I’ve got to get this recipe’. It is from a cookbook called Forks Over Knives that has plant-based recipes it. I gathered the ingredients, my blender and pans. I had to make the cashew sauce in a blender. The recipe calls for raw cashews but unfortunately my local store didn’t carry them so I looked for unsalted...

Easy Chunky Vegetarian Chili Recipe Are you looking for a vegetarian recipe for chili that doesn’t use veggie crumbles, and just more vegetables? Congratulations; you have found it. Years ago, I was looking for the very same thing myself. I did find some different variations, and have finally modified the recipes to be more personalized to what we like. This chili recipe has colorful bell peppers in it as well as two intriguing...

The Adaptable Cauliflower This vegetable is continually surprising me. From the first time I tried using it in fried rice, added it to burritos, meatballs, even chicken salad, I have been so pleased with the resulting good taste. The added nutrition and lower calorie count were bonuses. After using it in so many cooked meals I wanted to try some using it raw. This particular one is unique. I first tasted one similar at the assisted...

Old Fashioned and Delicious. Family dinners never seem complete without a serving of Candied Sweet Potatoes. I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t there on the table, along with a turkey dinner especially. The sweet potatoes add a delightful, sweet flavor to a dinner. So much so that you almost don’t need dessert. Need a last minute dish? This is a perfect choice. The recipe is so easy to make, with items you...

Add Zucchini Noodles to Your Pasta! This low calorie, easy, vegetarian recipe just came together because of a new gadget I found. It is so much fun to use that I’m already checking the fridge for something else to try it on. The new toy is the GEFU Spiral slicer, but more about that below. This is about the recipe. Basically, I spiral-sliced one zucchini and one yellow crookneck squash. The spirals came out looking like...

Vegetarian or Not, You’ll Love these Cauliflower Enchiladas I’m all for quick and easy meals that can be made at the last minute. This enchilada fits right in to that! This enchilada in a creamy cauliflower sauce is a tasty treat without many ingredients. Using no oil or butter keeps it lighter too. Cauliflower is a natural to add to any Mexican recipe. After trying the Cauliflower Vegetarian Enchiladas, it sounded interesting...

Hot Sauce + Cauliflower = Yum After using Frank’s hot sauce on another dish, I decided we needed another recipe using the tasty, spicy sauce. When the search suggested chunks of cauliflower, I knew I had to try it for myself. What a great find! Once again cauliflower blends in perfectly, this time with the flavors of the hot sauce. Since it is so low in calories, it makes for an excellent snack that tastes rich and filling,...

Fast and Filling. That is exactly how this dish can be summed up. Prep a head of cauliflower, cook up a package of noodles–in the same pot besides–and you have a tasty, nutritious meal that will suit vegetarians and non vegetarians alike. Cauliflower is so nutritious, not to mention very low calorie. It is also very filling. Mixed with pasta and seasonings it makes a meal. For the version pictured here, I used ziti, so...

Lasagna was a regular meal in our household, along with most every Italian dish you can think of. When my husband cooked, it always seems like we did it all. Two huge pots of his homemade pasta sauce, meatballs, sausage, even ribs and chicken legs. Then as long as we were at it, may as well make eggplant parmesan and lasagna. The aroma of garlic lingered for days, much like an Italian deli. Back then we would use a meat sauce or...

Lettuce On A Hot-Dog. So have you ever had lettuce on your veggie hot-dogs before? Believe it or not, I’ve never had before until now. I opened up a can of vegetarian Big Franks. I put them in a fry pan and browned them up a bit. Normally these are just warmed up in a sauce pan. I had some fresh garden lettuce that I had in my refrigerator from a friend and thought why not, I’d give it a try. I chopped it up and topped it...

Vegetarian. Super nutritious. An excellent source of protein. A rich, satisfying taste. What could be better than that? Rice and Beans is a traditional dish is many different countries. From a cajun version we often find in the state of Louisiana to a Korean dish named Kongbap, to the Middle East and South America. It makes sense when you consider that both rice and beans are usually low cost and very available. It makes for a...

Delicious mushrooms in red wine with pasta. We are a meat-free household but we certainly enjoy our food. This recipe is splendid for a family dinner but equally good to serve to guests. Although I generally serve this with pasta – any sort – we’ve also had this with plain boiled rice which made a pleasant change and the rice soaks up the delicious sauce beautifully. You could also serve this – with or...

Special K Casserole is a very easy to make. It’s been around for years. This is a well know vegetarian casserole to those who are Seventh Day Adventists such as myself. I learned to make it from my Mom. We made a lot of vegetarian foods as I was growing up. It is quite simple to make. All you do is sauté the onions and celery then mix the rest of the ingredients together. Put it in a baking pan and pop into the oven for 45...

Spinach, mushrooms and cheese seem to belong together. They taste fantastic! This recipe is no exception. When I first ran across this tasty casserole it was made quite differently than it would be today. It called for 6 tablespoons of butter and a teaspoon of salt. That seemed too much to me, so I’ve changed it up, making it healthier and lighter. First, I used coconut oil to sauté the mushrooms. That is healthier and lighter....

Using a bread machine makes it so easy to have fresh bread any day. Lately I’ve been making dinner and sandwich sized rolls with it so I can use the fresh bread for hamburger buns. This time I cut off a piece to try my hand at calzones. A calzone is another recipe that is surprisingly adaptable. Not only can you use your favorite ingredients and cheese, you can also leave the veggies uncooked when you make the calzone and allow...

Spinach Dumplings with Dipping Sauce The Chinese New Year celebration is beginning! While searching for a menu of what is usually served, dumplings caught my eye. Aren’t they a favorite to most of us? You can fill them with vegetables, meat, or even something sweet for dessert. And the sauces for dipping often make the dumplings twice as good. The idea for using spinach and tofu came from a recipe I saw in Food and Wine...

Combining Cauliflower with Potatoes Mashed potatoes seem to be a favorite side dish with all of us. But, if you’re like me, you don’t fix them very often because most other vegetables are healthier for you. On top of that, many are lower in calories too. After experiments with cauliflower in lieu of part of the rice in my Fried Cauliflower Rice recipe, I decided to try it in potatoes too. I’d heard of mashed...

Vegetarian Enchiladas with Crumbled Soy and Cauliflower Mexican food is usually a top choice when deciding to go out for dinner. Since I enjoy eating it more often than I go out these days, it has been fun and tasty to try some dishes in my kitchen. Burritos and enchiladas are among the most requested. In either dish, the ingredients are so flexible. Any meat, poultry or fish, all sorts of vegetables, and cheese, rolled up into a...

Fresh, Crisp Vegetables in a Spicy Dip Fresh vegetables are in abundance right now, fresh being the operative word. While it is a good idea to freeze, can, dry, etc., to preserve the variety for the rest of the year, there isn’t much better or more delicious than fresh, raw, cut up vegetables. Fresh from the garden or from a farmer’s market, they taste healthy and wonderful just as they are. So why mess with a good...

Alfredo Sauce Made from Mushrooms? When I first ran across a similar recipe to this on Pure Wow, I knew I had to try it. Mushrooms are so tasty, and also very low in calories. I love Alfredo sauce, but try not to use it often because it is so rich and high in calories. Making a sauce from mushrooms sounded too good to be true. It works! It still surprises me that mushrooms will make such a thick sauce, but they do. The original recipe...

Roast Cauliflower with Lime Cauliflower is delicious no matter how you fix it. Raw, steamed, roasted, or included in any casserole recipe. Still, cauliflower roasted with lime and cilantro is a hard recipe to resist. Easy to fix, pretty enough for company, it’s new favorite. Seems like I used it in everything these days, from fried rice and mashed potatoes to tuna casserole and meatballs. Actually one head of the tasty vegetable...

Veggies on my pizza! Veggies are so good for you and I love them. There are many ways that you can make them. They can be used by themselves cooked or raw, in casseroles or even on pizza. That’s what this recipe is all about, veggies on your pizza. Buying veggie pizzas is a easy, normal instinct to do but making it homemade is just as easy and healthier for you. Just think of topping your pizza with fresh veggies from your...

Taco Hot Dish. Turn a regular Taco Hot Dish recipe into a vegetarian one instead. Swap out one ingredient for a different one. It’s nice when you can adapt a recipe that you really like a lot to fit the health needs of yourself or when cooking for others. Its fun to experiment with these types of recipes in switching out ingredients to see what works or doesn’t work. So find a recipe of yours to see what alterations you...

Vegetarian Won Tons Making Wontons Wonton making is incredibly fun! I’ve always looked at wontons and egg rolls and thought they would be too hard to make. Since I had some time this morning I decided to experiment. I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as I have. The best part is you can put anything in them you like! I added two others as long as I was making the basic ones. Kids would get a kick out of helping too, and...

This easy-to-make dish can be prepared using tomatoes or their more exotic cousins, tomatillos. These are available in several gorgeous colours – the ones I have used here are a deep purple shade and are a little sweeter than the green varieties. It takes only a couple of minutes to assemble this tart and then it needs about twenty minutes in the oven. It has a wonderful Italian flavour and is a great dish to cook instead of...

Vegetarian Spread Have you heard of vegetarian hot dogs? They make a great spread all mashed up. I use what you call Big Franks, Super-Links and Vega-Links. They’re called veggie hot dogs. At least that’s what I call them. All by a brand called Worthington which come in plain or low-fat. They are wheat, soy and protein based. No real meat in these! These veggie hot dogs are easily smashed up with a fork. The consistency of...

One of my favorite summer salads is a Zesty Italian Pasta Salad. It is easy and simple to make. You can make it with plain noodles, colored noodles even pretty bow pasta. My favorite way is using colored noodles because they make the salad look so pretty look inviting with all the different colors. You can make this salad with all your favorite veggies from your garden and even a few from the store. If there is one you don’t...

Learn to make vegetarian lasagna with veggie burger. Making lasagna is pretty each and pasta dishes are fun to make. There are so many variations of them. Everyone makes it different. What’s really nice is that you can swap out one ingredient for another one. So if you don’t like a certain kind of burger meat or in my case I needed to make it vegetarian so I used veggie burger. It’s a nice alternative for non-meat...

A Tasty Gorgonzola Treat Looking for a change from the traditional fettuccine alfredo? Then try this! Recently when my friends and I took our annual road trip to Iowa, we tried this recipe. Gwynn’s brand new kitchen was ideal for shared cooking so we all pitched in. We had a blast, sipping a Cabernet Franc wine, a recent find from friend Michele. A tasty, rich pasta dish, served with a crisp veggie-filled salad, was a perfect...

A Lighter Burrito Want to lighten up a burrito? Try this vegetarian version with cauliflower and beans. It is delicious! It’s become a habit any more to find ways to cook any dish with lower calories. I also try to find ways to eat less meat and lots more vegetables. That it’s vegetarian is just a bonus. Lately I’ve been on a cauliflower kick. Since trying it as a rice substitute in my Fried Cauliflower Rice and then...

Potato pancakes recipe. Well last week was a bit of a challenge for us. We spent Tuesday in the hospital from early in the morning till about 3 in the afternoon. “Sweetling” was undergoing a procedure that required someone to be there before, during and after. So when we got home, there was nothing prepared for dinner and I was exhausted (even though I didn’t do much), I guess worrying will do that to you! Anyway,...

Spicy onion fritters – or use the vegetables of your choice. These vegetable fritters are so delicious.Part of the reason for that is the beautifully light batter. It’s truly fabulous and contains a special secret ingredient. I like to make onion fritters using this special batter – it’s really so light and tasty – but I’ve experimented with other vegetables too. Use whatever you have available...

Mushroom Hunting March through May is the usual time to go hunting for Morel Mushrooms. Do you have them in your area? They do here in Oregon, but the only time I’ve found them and eaten them was in Iowa. I’d always been concerned when I heard of people hunting mushrooms. How do you tell the difference between the safe and unsafe varieties? Last year on a trip to Iowa I learned how much fun it can be. Morel mushrooms are a lovely...

Purple Pickled Eggs Recipe When I first tried purple pickled eggs was quite some time ago. I was hesitant at first since beets were not my favorite to eat but it was a new food adventure to try. The purple color was so inviting that I couldn’t resist so I cut one in half and took a bite. To my surprise the flavor was so good. It had a sweet and acidy flavor. The two flavors went mixed together well. From then on I really liked...

Stuffed cabbage rolls. So versatile Once you have mastered the art of cooking stuffed cabbage rolls, you have a wealth of recipes to work with. The reason is that so many foods are suitable to use as a filling. Even better, this is a quick-to-make dish and very simple. It’s even planet-friendly. Let me explain more. What are the advantages of this delicious recipe? Depending on the filling used, it’s a remarkably...

Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe One of my favorite new recipes using the versatile cauliflower is Fried Rice made with cauliflower. I was so pleased how well it turned out that it is now a regular in our household. I love fried rice of any type. With its variety of ingredients, I can eat it for a main course. Because of its high carb and calorie count, I wouldn’t order it often. Another reason I’m delighted with this recipe. The...

In our household, pizza is just one of those staples – something we have for dinner when there’s little in the fridge or when inspiration simply doesn’t strike. For many years that simply meant picking up the telephone – you know what it’s like – it’s just so easy, isn’t it? Well yes, but eventually I realised that it’s healthier, much cheaper and much, much quicker to make pizza...

Pasta Alfredo – a lighter, healthier version We try to eat as healthily as possible. And I prefer to cook food that takes little time – we’re all so busy these days. But sometimes we simply crave for some delicious, creamy pasta. Something like a Pasta Alfredo but oh, those calories. Have you ever looked it up and seen how many calories there are in the usual version? So in order to satisfy our cravings, and eat...

Stuffed mushroom recipes Mushrooms are such a versatile ingredient for the cook. And the shape of these little beauties just lends itself to being stuffed.It’s a great idea to have a great stuffed mushroom recipe in your repertoire as they are a good way of using leftovers or oddments. Here’s the start of our growing collection: The Best Stuffed Mushroom Recipe Ever! The Best Stuffed Mushroom Recipe Ever! Are you looking...

Fettuccine Gorgonzola If you are looking for a distinctive dish featuring fettuccine, but don’t want the standard Alfredo sauce, you will be impressed with this recipe. Fresh gorgonzola cheese, is mixed with mascarpone for a rich delicious sauce. It is perfect over spinach or tricolor fettuccine. It’s special enough to serve your discerning guests yet easy enough to prepare for a family dinner. It goes together very fast considering...

Vegetarian Soft Tacos – Spinach and White Beans These quick and easy vegetarian tacos are one of my most popular recipes. They are also very versatile. I love them with white beans, but any beans would work. While all beans are nutritious, good for brain and heart health, and a good source of protein, black beans are considered one of the best. It tastes great with either. I left the cheese off this batch so it is strictly...

A vegetarian haggis recipe I have to admit something to you. In the days when I used to eat meat, I used to like haggis. In those days, it was available in our local supermarket. Of course, the fact that it’s traditionally served with a glass of Scotch might have something to do with it and frankly, it’s not too good an idea to dwell on the ingredients if you’re a squeamish eater. As I don’t especially care for...

A Vegetable Stir-Fry Recipe That Kids Love I’m sure lots of children have trouble eating vegetables because they are cooked badly. Imagine being faced with soggy boiled green things that taste horrible! My solution is to prepare fresh crunchy vegetable stir-fry. I think there’s more to this aversion to veggies than meets the eye. Did you know that babies are frightened of plants? They have an innate reluctance to touch plants...

White Bean Chili, Vegetarian with Soy Crumbles My favorite chili used to be one served with ground beef crumbled throughout. I loved the texture and taste with the beans. Since I try not to eat beef often anymore, our family needed a recipe that did not have meat. That is how this yummy recipe came about. It’s totally vegetarian, yet filled with the same taste of ground meat. Soy crumbles make it possible, and make it delicious. The...

Bean Burritos with Cauliflower: You won’t know it’s there If you are trying to lighten up the meal you serve now that the holidays are over, here is a recipe you will enjoy. These delicious, rich burritos are much lower in calorie and fat than you would expect. Yet they taste even better. Burritos are a favorite of mine. I like that are easily made at home, any size you want, and that you know exactly what ingredients are going...

Spinach Mushroom Pasta You can’t go wrong with this dish or these ingredients. Three of my favorites tastes, combined in with garlic, onion and olive oil for a tasty and filling dish. Spinach has become a passion of mine. I enjoy seeing how many ways I can prepare it or add it to various meals I cook. Happily, it goes in nearly anything from pasta, to burgers. This recipe makes a low calories meal considering the pasta. An entire...

Two favorite salads: Seven Layer & Italian Pasta Two of my favorite veggie salads to make is a Seven Layer Salad and a Zesty Italian Pasta Salad. Both of these salads can be made the night before then chilled for serving the next day. With each salad you can substitute veggies in or out of what you like or don’t like. Here’s how I make them: Let’s get it layered! You start with lettuce in the bottom then you layer celery,...

This is a splendid recipe which we often have as the main dinner course. We are a non meat eating household but I’ve served this dish to devoted carnivores who love it. If you wish, it’s excellent to serve as a side dish or even as an appetizer.Because these delicious mushrooms are cooked and served in a red wine sauce, it’s quite a rich dish that is perfect to serve with pasta or rice. Its very richness also makes...